A friend recently asked me this question: What are some of the benefits you’ve experienced in creating handmade books versus a book like blurb or offset produced book? A great question to ponder these days as I work hard to re-establish my studio habit.

The biggest benefit of creating handmade books is the feeling of accomplishment that comes from working with my hands and utilizing a broad array of very tactile materials to create unique works of art that go so far beyond the machine-made book. With machine-made books your creative workout goes little beyond sequencing and very minor size and paper options. Having been a graphic designer from the days of wax and ruby and having been a photographer from the darkroom days, I found that I truly missed working with my hands when both areas went digital. What drew me to making handmade books was the need to get away from the computer and create something on a deeper level. It is just so much more satisfying to me to make something with my hands, plus I find working to solve all of the complex creative decisions involved in producing a book by hand to be incredibly satisfying.

On a totally unrelated subject: Here’s an image that came to my mind today when I read an article about the “Unsettle Portland” movement. I don’t agree with their tactics, but the article did make me appreciate how lucky I am to have such a secure and happy home.

Happy Holidays,

Portals to Heaven

This project has been in progress for a few years now as I’ve collected photographs of what I call “DIY Churches.” And, one of these days I’ll feel that I’ve shot enough photos to have a complete body of work and this project will become an artist book.

These storefront, home made churches are a fascinating subject for me. Their signage, structures and messages are very compelling for some reason. Maybe it’s the lapsed Catholic in me.

I recently ran across this YouTube video, Portals to Heaven, that I created some time ago for a Slide Luck Pot Show event here in Portland. At the time it was very fun work with these church images. Now that my schedule is freeing up a bit and it’s time to get back to the studio, perhaps I should to turn my attention back to this project and either shoot more photos or start designing the book.

Tomorrow is my first studio day in a few months. The gallery and other obligations have kept me much too busy lately. Perhaps, with a little faith, the creative winds blow in this direction.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Bless This House, the trailer park project I worked on with my friend and writer Nicole Bower. We’ll have more details soon, but a quantity of 200 of the POD version of this book is being purchased to benefit a non-profit that works with folks who are struggling to find affordable housing. I am very excited that this book and the social problems this book takes on will get some more attention. In the meantime, below is the poem that I wrote for the handmade artist book version of this book. As I’ve said here before I am a reluctant writer, but this one gets me in my heart every time I revisit the book.

Bless This House.

Bless This House.
Bless this neighborhood, safe, quiet, peaceful.
Bless these kids, riding their bikes as birds chirp and dogs walk on a warm summer night.
Bless the young, the old, the frail.
Bless Sheila whose fear of bees is well known by her neighbors who watch out for her every day.
Bless Maria with a new coat of paint and new windows on her pretty white trailer.
Bless Nancy who babysits so many of the kids while their parents work to pay rent on the land that holds the trailer they own.
Bless Jeanette in shock as the letters arrive. Move out. Six months. Start now.
Bless Cindy and Janice, neighbors who just sit there and cry as their world falls apart.
Bless Joe who has a $19,000 mortgage, who will be paid $5,250 for his double wide that is too old to move.
Bless Virginia who has lived here 52 years and who will probably die here.
Bless Big John who visits his wife in a nursing home every day, who promises only to leave his home to go to heaven.
Bless Sharless, whose adopted sister was fed alcohol in her sippy cup.
Bless Jeff who isn’t afraid because, after all, he’s lived on the streets before.
Bless Gabby, the Korean war vet who prays for a tornado to just take it all away.
Bless Lorna who is not able to comprehend what is happening to her and probably never will.
Bless Debbie, who helped move 13 seniors, who stayed up at night stalking the thieves who strip the metal, the pipes or anything of value from trailers vacant or not.
Bless Joe Cole, who drives the truck that moves the trailers, who says, “it ain’t Park Place, but it ain’t Baltic Avenue either.”
Bless them all. 247 families. Forced to move. No options but bulldozers for their homes. The homes they own.
God Bless the American Dream.

Exciting news! Two of my books, Good Will & Salvation and Bless This House have been selected to be included in BiblioTech, the 2012 College Book Arts Association (CBAA) Juried Members Exhibition. Jurors Emily McVarish and Ruth Rogers chose 64 pieces from over 135 submissions. The show will take place at the San Francisco Public Library Skylight Gallery from January 5- March 11, 2012. The opening reception will be Thursday January 5 from 5:30-7:30pm.

I’ll also be giving a talk at the conference called Photographic Artist Books: From Glass Plate to Ink Jet. Hope to see you there.

Here’s a link to the CBAA web site.

I am always curious about how artists discover the book arts. What is that one event or person who sparked that inspiration to make them consider making books. Well, here’s my story: In April of 1997 I attended a talk by Diana Phillips, the owner of Two Hands Paperie at her much-too-short-lived store in downtown Denver. (Her Boulder store continues to thrive, even though she has passed the torch to new owners.)

That fortuitous April event was presented to members of the Denver chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). Diana presented a slide show of artist books and other types of paper arts. The photos from that slide show were all photos from Shereen’s book, Cover to Cover. Then Diana gave us all a few sheets of handmade paper and we sewed two books, a simple pamphlet stitch booklet and an easy side-bound ribbon binding. (Yes, I still have those books!) Sadly, Shereen passed away in 2003, after inspiring so many artists and a whole movement.

To this day I can go through Cover to Cover and tell you exactly which books were in the slide show and why they proved to be life-changing inspiration to me. That slide show is why I am where I am today. I like to say I that at that moment I was infected with this disease called book arts. After that night I started taking every book arts workshop I could find in Denver, plus I even traveled as far as Guatemala to take a workshop. Today, all these years later, I still make my own artist books plus have the great honor of owning my little gallery that specializes in all things book and paper.

Thank you Diana and thank you Shereen, wherever you may be.

BTW, at that little gallery of mine called 23 Sandy Gallery we carry on of Shereen’s original limited edition artist books. Click here to learn more about Historical Jewish Wedding Rings. This page also contains Shereen’s biography and her artist statement and if you are at all like me you’ll find it very inspiring.
Happy creating,

Laura

I consider myself a reluctant writer. Most days I procrastinate over writing even the simplest web copy, press release, or letter—all of which are required regularly for my business. But, when it comes to writing text to include in one of my books I love the challenge and the process. Here is the poem I wrote for Casa Milà, my tribute to Antoni Gaudí.

Casa Milà.
Gaudí’s sentinels
dance across the roof,
guarding the skies.
Curving, sensuous,
undulating, ventilating.
Chimneys, stairways, vents
all living, breathing.
Helmeted warriors
protecting his dream,
his vision of beauty and art
and the glitter of truth.
Antoni proclaimed:
“The straight line belongs to man,
the curved one to God.”
Amen.

Thank you for visiting my web site. My name is Laura Russell and I create limited edition and unique artist books, most often utilizing my own photography. I am also the owner of 23 Sandy Gallery, a fine art gallery focusing on the book and paper arts in Portland, Oregon. Stay tuned for more info coming soon.